Beirut, Lebanon – Israel launched airstrikes on two buildings in central Beirut, near the Lebanese government sector. This marks a new escalation in its offensive against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group, amid warnings that the military operation will not be short.
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said the army had received orders to expand the scope of the campaign,
while Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir confirmed that the operation would continue.
He added that additional forces had been sent to the north and that the advance into Lebanon was ongoing.
Attacks widen in central Beirut
The airstrikes targeted a building in the Bashoura neighborhood, about one kilometer from the Grand Serail, the seat of the Lebanese government.
This followed warnings given to residents near the targeted facilities.
The southern suburbs of Beirut and southern Lebanon were also targeted, resulting in the deaths of approximately 700 people.
Furthermore, more than 800,000 were forced to flee their homes.
Continued missile attacks from Hezbollah and Iran
These airstrikes came after Hezbollah launched its largest barrage of rockets on Wednesday evening,
coinciding with Iranian ballistic missile launches toward Israel.
The Israeli military confirmed that Hezbollah carried out the attack in coordination with Iran.
It added that only two rockets hit Israeli territory out of hundreds of rockets.
Increase in civilian casualties
The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that the death toll had risen to 687, including 98 children and 62 women.
Meanwhile, Imran Riza, the UN Resident Coordinator in Lebanon, described the losses as “very heavy,”
calling on the warring parties to respect international humanitarian law.
Israeli warnings to the Lebanese government
Israel warned Lebanon that it would intervene directly if the government failed to prevent Hezbollah from attacking Israeli territory.
It also confirmed that it had killed members of Iran’s Quds Force in previous airstrikes in Beirut,
including an attack on a hotel in the coastal Raouche district.
These developments come amid escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.
There is a possibility that military operations could expand to encompass larger parts of Lebanon in the coming days.
